Royersford police rescue dog from Schuylkill River

ROYERSFORD — A dog rescued from the Schuylkill River by a Royersford police officer Monday morning learned that timing is everything, and the kindness of people who like dogs doesn’t hurt either.

Royersford Police Officer Mark Smythe said police got a call a dog was in distress in the water off of 1st Avenue and Diamond Place around 8:53 a.m. Monday. Woody, as police eventually learned the dog is named, was clearly in trouble by the time Smythe laid eyes on him.

“I saw his head coming up and the current is tough there,” Smythe said, noting Woody was trapped beneath a log in the water. Smythe, a dog lover, said it appeared Woody was fading fast when he decided to jump in.

“I thought, ‘I have to go out and get him,’” Smythe said. “It was kind of an impetuous decision, I wasn’t thinking” about how cold the water would. “He would have perished, and not have lasted long at all. Thankfully it worked out OK.”

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Smythe said he was able to free Woody from where he was trapped by the log, and helped fire crews, who he called to assist, get him ashore.

Although Smythe was pleased by the end result, and proud of the cooperation between police and the fire department, he credited resident Krista Grubb with being the true hero.

“She is truly the one that saved this dog’s life,” he said. Grubb, Smythe explained, was walking her dog in the area when she saw Woody walking around. She lost sight of him, but then saw he went down a steep embankment and into the river.

“She did the right thing, she called 911 and had us go out there instead of trying to do it herself,” Smythe said. “Her phone call is really what saved him.

Woody was taken to Royersford Veterinary Hospital for treatment and then to the SPCA in Perkiomenville before his owners claimed him late Monday morning. Smythe said the owners explained Woody got loose from a fenced-in yard. He said the owners were “grateful” Woody was safe.

Smythe said he stopped by Woody’s house to see how he was doing and he was fine.

Smythe said he was happy the temperature was mild on Monday, otherwise, he joked, he may have thought twice about jumping in the water.

Reached Tuesday for comment, Smythe said he was a little surprised by all the attention his department was getting for rescuing Woody, but “it’s nice when it has a happy ending and we’re apart of it,” he said. “It’s great to see the outpouring.